Nothing compares 2 U (#OriginalMyAss #8)

This one is for my daughter on her birthday, if only because nothing compares to her. No other human being.  Nothing. On. Earth.  Zip. Zero. Nada.  So have a happy birthday my Princess!

SINEAD O’CONNOR was the first woman to win an MTV award for the video of her performing NOTHING COMPARES 2 U in 1990.  Never has a face been so important than in this video.  The song was first recorded by the songwriter, Prince, for one of his side projects, The Family, on their first and only album in 1987.

It remains one of the best break-up songs ever recorded in the history of man and fortunately for all of us mortals, he gave the song to one of the few women who looks good without hair.

You can find the original recording of the song here.

Needles and Pins (#OriginalMyAss #7)

This was another shocker simply because I always considered this hit to be one the band’s signature songs.  This and that other song where someone starting using a swear word in the chorus.

NEEDLES AND PINS was released in 1977 as a cover by SMOKIE of the original recording from Jackie DeShannon in 1963.

I find it intriguing to watch the video and see how the men dressed back in the day and laugh at the ridiculous hairstyles they thought they had.  They look like a trio of Joker’s henchmen.  As I was conceived in the same decade, I suppose my Dad had a wonderful personality or didn’t follow the fashion at all.

You can listen to the original recording of the song here.  It’s actually been covered a whopping 10 times and ironically, most successfully, by The Searchers in 1964.

I drove all night (#OriginalMyAss #6)

I didn’t forget about the people who are anxiously waiting for me to continue my series on hits that’s actually covers of pre-released songs.

This time it’s the turn of CYNDI LAUPER with her rendition of I DROVE ALL NIGHT, which some might call her signature song.  O-kay, “some” being me.  She also got a Grammy nomination for her version of the song.  It remains one of my favourites of the eighties and I reckon it’s better than the original, as recorded by Roy Orbison two years prior in 1987.

After it was made famous by Miss Lauper, they released his “original” version in 1992. His version became a hit overseas and also gave him a Grammy.

So technically this isn’t a cover.  Or is it?  Enjoy my peeps.  You can watch Jason Priestly and Jennifer Connelly make out to the original here.

No more I love you’s (#OriginalMyAss #5)

Other than the fact that she looks like a complete psycho surrounded by even weirder people in the music video, I actually like NO MORE I LOVE YOU’S as performed by the always great ANNIE LENNOX in 1995.  The video only needs a clown or two to be a homage to my nightmares.

And it’s not just me who likes the song, she won a Grammy for her performance of the song, as the lead single from her second solo album ‘Medusa’.  But who knew this was a cover? I think I would have to apologize to a few of her fans with this, so unnecessary, piece of information.

The original was written and first recorded in 1986 by the band The Lover Speaks and sounds like a bad rip-off of the hit by Madam Annie.

The best (#OriginalMyAss Ep3)

I’ve never been a major fan of the music of TINA TURNER, I was a bigger fan of her legs. But when she dropped THE BEST as the lead single to her 1989 “Foreign Affair”, it quickly became a favourite at our local school dances. It was a make-out song of note. Some people even bought the album!

Imagine my disappointment to learn that she wasn’t the first woman to record this song.  It also quite strange that she seems to be flirting with a horse in the video of the song. Or maybe it’s just me.

The original version was sung by Bonnie Tyler in 1988 and it sounds basically the same and the video is also pretty awful.

I swear (#OriginalMyAss Ep2)

This one was a shocker.  Not only for the extremely bad video, that’s basically about four guys stalking a woman from a rooftop, or the freakish mustaches some of the band members attempted to wear but the fact that this song was actually a country song before it turned into R&B gold for ALL-4-ONE.

And here they are with their cover of I SWEAR.  It even gave them a Grammy for best performance by a group and bragging rights for hitting the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot100 for a week.  Their version also competed for Song of the Year at the 1995 Grammys.

The original was performed by John Michael Montgomery a year before their version broke. Please be warned that the linked video drips of sentiment like only a good ole country music video can.

PS – The group also covered his “I can love you like that” which also competed for Song of the Year at the 1996 Grammys.  But don’t worry, I’m not going to post that song too.

Torn (#OriginalMyAss Ep1)

I’m appalled and my whole childhood was a lie.

I’ve recently started digging up information on which famous songs were actually covered by the artist who made them famous.  This random research project was sparked by the brilliant cover of Sounds of Silence from Disturbed.  (The song was featured on this site before.)  And we can all agree that their version is better than the original.

*backing away from the crowd

What I didn’t expect was to find so many famous songs that was actually covers, previously recorded by other singers, before it turned into hits.

This will be a series of posts which I will call #OriginalMyAss and please be warned that it might destroy your childhood and love for certain songs.

Here is TORN from NATALIE IMBRUGLIA…

It was originally recorded by some unpronounceable Danish girl in 1993, then again by Ednaswap in 1995, before it turned into a debut hit single for Natalie in 1997.

Now you know.  And I’m sorry.